Friends & Enemies
by hermitsrest
Summary: Mal hires a munitions expert for a job on Persephone and it seems they have some enemies in common.  The usual post BDM characters and introducing a few of my own.  The story begins from a stranger’s point of view.
1. The Takoma Job

"I cannot see how it helps us to do this job with Reynolds?" grumbled Bane as she bought in her clean clothes and started to fold them on her bunk. Her cousin, Maloranty, who was sitting at the bunk room table playing patience was getting a little annoyed at being disturbed. As the oldest of the cousins he disliked being the one people always off loaded on – like he was their father or something – a bit of piece and quiet is not too much to ask. 

"It's not for us to question, we're here to support our Captain's new enterprise," he responded carefully knowing that while he did not entirely agree either he was not about to question the Captain, relative or no relative. They were all related on this boat, the Rosalyn Pye, all except Stan who was lying over in his bunk asleep – the man could sleep through an earthquake. He turned over another card but could not block out Bane. She was in the mood to talk and was taking full advantage, even if he did not want to listen.

"His enterprise with a ship full of freaks. You've heard the stories, it's all over the cortex, as well as the gossip in every bar from here to Regina." If Bane had been facing her cousin she would have seen him flick his plait of hair of his shoulder – a sure sign that he was getting annoyed.

"Peace," growled Maloranty. He had enough of his cousin's bitching and put down the rest of the pack of cards. "I'm off to talk to Lee Shoo – you can have a moan to Stan instead, he's a great listener." Bane turned to watch him leave the room, instantly sorry that she had upset him. It may well not be her place to question the Captain, especially since he was her brother, but she did not like to keep her voice and opinions inside, not anymore. The Serenity may be a boat load of freaks, but being cooped up with family had its drawbacks as well. She had never met any of Serenity's crew, but she knew that their Captain had fought on the same side as them during the war. Those of her family who had been old enough, including most of the people on the Rosalyn, had also been on the side of the Independents during the war. The empty cavern of surviving when all those they knew who had died was all that was left to them.

Before the War there had been a fleet of Pye ships – Pye Eatings – they were called and they had been known throughout the 'Verse. Good fresh cooked eatings and food supplies for newly terraformed planets. Ships run by families where the love of food was passed down through generations. The Pye genealogies would have taken decades to work each intricate relationship, but if your name was Pye then it usually meant you were related somehow and in the food business. The Alliance had tried to muscle in and insist that the Pye fleet submit part of their proceeds to them. Because Pye Eatings were mobile they were not tied to the usual land locked permits – they always stayed less than a week on any planet – thus avoiding the planet taxes and other Alliance paperwork. Just long enough to do business with the locals and move on to the next planet. Then the War came and the Pyes scattered and joined the Independents. She had fought too, but it had been a different kind of fight – munitions and spying. Munitions had been another sideline of their branch of family; Bane and her mother had run a small cruiser in and out of Alliance territory. Their cover had been still been in specialist eatings and targeting Alliance depots. Bane had learned her munitions trade from her Ma. They had mostly worked independently, under aliases, targeting Alliance military facilities, but they also worked the occasional job from the Independent Command. Very successfully, until they were caught.

"'Bane!" the com jerked her from her reminiscing. She pressed the button by her bunk to answer.

"Yep?"

"Need to talk to you about the job. Can you come up here?" Bane folded the last item of clothing, placed them all in her little cupboard and pulled on her boots. She looked over to Stan who was still fast asleep, the only non family member, but trusted as much as one. At the sound of the com he had just turned over and was now just showing a long hairy leg which hung over the edge of his bunk and into hers. He was unlucky, being over six foot meant that all the bunks were too small for him. As his bunk touched hers there was no way she was sleeping with her head the same end as his huge feet. One of the disadvantages of the Rosalyn was that the engines, canning and cargo space took up most of the ship. The living quarters were very small. Apart from the Captain's quarters, the rest of them had to share. Being the only female on the ship, it was gorram smelly sometimes bunking with five other men. Fortunately the room was large and the showers were separate.

"I need you to play nice with the others, Sis, can you do that?" said Tony. He was very different from his sister by being almost fastidiously neat. Even now, the t-shirt and long shorts were clean and neatly belted at the waist. His only quirk was that on the ship he was always barefoot. During the five years he had served in the infantry he had combinations of trench foot, gangrene and lost a few toes due to infection. Now the War was over he had no inclination to ever wear anything more substantial than flip flops. On arriving in his quarters Tony could tell his sister was in one of her belligerent moods, she tended to get cabin fever more than the rest of them.

"Sure I won't be speechless with awe in the face of such a legend?" Bane said and then regretted her words when her brother's nostrils flared. He knew Sergeant Reynolds and their unit had fought briefly alongside his early in the War. Reynolds had also been at Serenity Valley on Hera where their father and Maloranty's had died along with Angel's brother and sisters. She contritely murmured an apology and wondered why she was in a funny mood today.

"I need you to rig up a silent trick, maximum boom – _dong ma_?" said Tony. He missed the permanently laid back attitude she had, but the war had changed all of them. Nowadays he could barely get her to sit in one place for more than twenty minutes.

"Boom I can do, it's the silent part that's hard to achieve. Can you be a bit more specific?" Tony shook his head.

"No, only that it needs to create a hole four foot by three. I bumped into Reynolds on Bellerophon some time back and I kinda embroidered your abilities." She could not recall seeing Tony with someone then, but they had been extra busy with the eatings.

"Was our brandy involved?" she said sarcastically. Tony did not look her in the eye but chuckled in confirmation.

"May've been. Suffice to say, I had a wave and we are meeting on Haven. I've told Lee Shoo to change course, we should be there in about sixteen hours."

"Not much time for me to get something ready. He give you any detail on what the job is?" There was a little too much vagueness for her liking.

"Nothing 'cept it's Alliance and well below radar."

"Great, that's something I need, another price on my head." Bane's alias had a list as long as her leg for crimes against the Alliance during the war. Although the warrant was outdated, there was still a lot of money to be made by someone who managed to find out who she really was. Tony had the grace to look a little guilty. Unlike most of those who fought in the war, Bane had not been registered as serving and therefore had not been discharged and pardoned like the rest of them. He propped himself on the edge of his desk and confessed.

"We need the platinum, we've been running on empty for the last month."

"Gorram it, Tony, why don't you share these things. Why not just go to Liann Jiun or Ita and do some trading? They've had lots of new settlers and it's been a few months since we were last there." Tony shook his head, having already thought of that one.

"We haven't enough to get us to the outer Rim – we had to come back to load up, remember."

"But we make more by going to the Rim worlds. No need to start us being noticed again by the Alliance. They know that all us Pyes fought against them. I don't mind doing the odd munitions job for family – it keeps me in practise – but I'm sure as hell not comfortable with working with strangers."

"Sorry Bane, but this job will keep us in more than noodles 'til next year. Means we can get enough supplies to stay put for a while and have a little holiday." Bane could see the conversation was at an end so she left his room. It was clear Reynolds had not told Tony the full plan – only what he needed from him. A cautious man then. Bane went to the smallest cargo hold used for storing the uncut metal used for making the cans. She tapped into the keypad which looked like it was part of the canning machine and lifted off the unlocked side panels. It revealed the munitions store – her workshop. She stepped in, blew a kiss at her Ma's picture propped on the desk and started work.

"It's gonna be a mite confusin' having two Mals in the same vicinity," said Stan with a conspiratorial grin at Tony.

"Shouldn't be too hard," replied Tony with a grin, "I hear Reynolds has short hair, whereas our Mal has a lovely long shiny pigtail like a girl." Maloranty, in the midst of a mouthful of hot soup, picked up and threw a bread roll at his Captain. Ragen laughed so hard he lost some of his mouthful of rice dish. Angel, another cousin, fortunately not eating but tinkering with one of his engine parts, was laughing as well. Maloranty was very proud of his long hair. He might be the dark side of forty but there was not one sliver of grey in his hair and he intended to show that off as much as possible. The crew galley on the Rosalyn was too small for them all to eat together but as it was next door to the main bunk room, they had a large table there to eat and play cards on. Bane was playing cards with Tony and Stan and losing badly. Only Lee Shoo was missing, it still being his turn at the wheel. Stan was the main pilot, but in the free of the Black they all took a turn.

"Plenty of women on his boat too, some might say it makes them vulnerable," said Ragen, who although he liked the security of living with his cousins, he sometimes regretted their constantly changing lifestyle.

"He's done alright so far by all accounts," said Tony, scratching his nose. Bane cursed silently and threw in her cards – that was his tell for a good hand and she had nothing. She got up to refill her cup with more cider from the galley.

"Lost their pilot in that _ke wu de_ Alliance and Reaver fire fight near Miranda though," put in Stan, raising the betting. He knew Tony's tell as well. They occasionally played for money, especially when planet-side, but mostly it was all just chips chalking up the scores on the bunk room wall. Stan was in the lead by more than a considerable amount of games. They wiped the wall clean when there was a change of crew, but there had not been one since Bane came on board three years ago, so they were nearly running out of room for his scoring.

"That ain't exactly an incentive for us to work with them," Bane called in from the galley. She could not resist saying and received a glare from her brother. He got his own back.

"Have you finished the tricks yet?" he asked, "We're touching down tomorrow." Tony looked hard at Stan and back at his cards and then raised the bet again.

"Will have it done by then, boss." Bane did her best to be respectful of her brother's position when the others were around. He was their Captain and responsible for all their lives and it was not proper for her to question him in front of the others, well other than the odd jab or two, but that, she considered, was sister's prerogative. They all relied on each other not just to keep the eatings going but to maintain the sense of family and belonging they all had lost thanks to the War.

The War had scattered and shot the fleet of Pye ships to pieces, literally. Now they had just the one, the Rosalyn Pye, named by Tony after their parents, Rosa and Lyndon. The remnants of the great Pye Eatings dynasties now served aboard her, collected together for safety, survival and assurance that they could still live in this post-Civil War 'verse when they had lost almost everything else. Most of the Pyes had joined the Infantry Regiments, although there had been a few pilots among them. Maloranty had been the eldest of six children – now all dead but him. Tony and Bane had lost their elder and younger brothers. Angel had been near the youngest in a family of eight, now all gone. Lee Shoo was the youngest of four fortunately all still living. Ragen was the odd one out. He had been an only child. A fair few of the Pyes had settled planet side after the war, mostly on Haven, Whittier and Persephone. Lee Shoo's family was their main source of contact on Persephone which meant that all their business dealings were kept in a very small tight circle. Stan was the only non-Pye, but he had come highly recommended and been with them for over five years. This was one of the reasons that Bane was uncomfortable about working with Reynolds – they were taking a risk dealing outside of the family. Not that the Pyes always did things clean and fluffy; her trade was testament to that. Serving the famous family desert, Exmoor Pye, with a load of electronic and plastic tricks beneath it for the buyer was not exactly shiny and legal like.

Their rendezvous at Haven held bitter sweet memories. Few had survived after the Alliance attack just before the Miranda incident. Ragen's uncle and aunt had been killed but their son and his family had been away on Persephone so they had come back and helped build up the place again. The Rosalyn had also stayed there for a few months to help set the family up with setting out and planting crops again. She hoped to catch up with them while they were here, although they did live some way out of the settlement. It did not sit entirely well knowing that Reynolds and the Serenity had been the reason the Alliance had attacked the place. If it came up in conversation she would surely have a few choice words to say, but no sense kicking the boat until the platinum came in. The ship gave a familiar rock which indicated that they were about to break atmo. Bane went to the metal store to pack up the tricks and her tools. She had finished the units during the night. When creating a new device, especially a bespoke one, she never bothered to sleep until it was done as she would only end up dreaming wires and timers. But a little meditation never went amiss when coming up against a particular type of problem.

"All done?" said Tony, popping his head inside the workshop. If she had told him a thousand times not to come up quiet like when she was working, but to make plenty of noise. No sense them all going to God or Buddha before their time. She would not berate him about it this time though, he had enough on his plate.

"_Shi_. All ready to cater for the starving thousands and whatever _hun dan_ we're going to rob."

The cargo bay doors were lowered and their food smells started attracting the natives of Haven. Protein food was banned on their boat as the Pye family had perfected the art of drying and storing meat and other foods so that it lasted the maximum time. They even had their own canning machine and sold other essential and cheap provisions for colonists. They all had to live on protein during the War and it was a Pye oath that none of the food served out of their ship was reconstituted. Tony, who rarely cooked now, went off to wherever the Captains normally hung out, presumably to find out if Serenity had landed yet or how far away it was or to hook up with their cousin. They had all long ago stopped trying to determine how they were related to each other, so it was just easier to call everyone a cousin, even though they might be second, third or fourth cousins once or twice removed.

Maloranty was the noodle king, as well as all the rice and pasta dishes. His section always drew the children as he would always flick the scraps at them and joke around. Bane was the meat cook and had too many knives to do anything like that safely. Tender and edible meat was a delicacy and her stall usually brought in the most money. At some places they offered a waiter service, but on places like Haven and the outer Rim it was more of a free-for-all and more fun for it. By nightfall they were all exhausted and not a little sweaty. Haven was hot and dry. The first day on each planet was always the hardest, not least of all because of the fact that it was classed as night on the ship when they broke atmo but fresh early morning when they landed. Maloranty had been the one who pointed out the another ship flying over them a couple of hours earlier. It had been a Transport class, Firefly, so more than likely it was the Serenity. The Rosalyn was Merchant class, Seagull and twice the size of a Firefly. Bane was just returning from the store with more dried meat when she spied her brother walking in to the large bay with a man she presumed was Reynolds and his crew. They scattered, attracted by the different smells and delights on offer. A large muscular man sauntered up to her counter.

"Man, that don't smell nothing like _zao gao_ protein." He took a deep sniff and stood up again.

"I should ruttin' think not. Only the real thing in a Pye Eating," replied Bane genially. She wiped out one of the pans and waited for him to decide what he wanted.

"Do me the works," he said slamming down his credit. Bane shouted over to Mal for stir fried noodles to accompany the dishes. As she shouted his name the other Mal spun round searching for who had called his name. That must be Captain Reynolds. Bane could not help but giggle when she realised.

"Could get a mite confusing dealing with two Mals," she said to the man in front of her, "You ain't one too are you?"

"Na. I'm Jayne. Jayne Cobb, at your service, in whatever way you want," he grinned with a leer but it was playful, not insulting.

"Careful, Mr Cobb, it don't do to mess with the person who messes with your food," joked Bane, waving the knife in her hand.

"Darlin' you can mess with me or my food anyway you want." Bane laughed but forbore to continue this line of banter as they had only just met.

"Well, I can offer you stir fry beef in fruity sauce, dry-baked herb chicken, lamb mince surprise..."

"I'll take it all, I'm starvin'."

"_Shi_, Mr Cobb." Bane started to prepare and cook. She approached her cooking craft the same way as making explosive devices – controlled, methodical and with imagination. She figured Jayne Cobb would appreciate a bit more kick to his food than the average person, so she put a few extra pinches of dried harissa mix into the lamb. He seemed fascinated in watching her cook the three meats on the different grills in front of her. The fourth grill was split into smaller flames and used to make the sauces. Angel handed her over the noodles passed along from Mal's counter. He was busy too. Regan, who managed the provisions store was the only one who was having a quiet time. The cargo bay was still packed with people but for some reason Mr Cobb had scared away all her other customers and they loitered behind him nervously. She spooned the meats into dishes and placed them on his tray. "There you go. After that, you might want to try our Exmoor Pye, not too sweet but it does have its own kick." Jayne was smacking his lips as he took his tray away and sat down with his fellow crew members.

"Thought he was gonna start lickin' the stoves," shouted Angel above the noise. Bane laughed while she watched Cobb take his first mouthful of the lamb. Blowing things up was one thing, but catering to someone's exact tastes gave her a lot of pleasure. His face took on the ecstatic pleasure of one in heaven and, satisfied she had got it right, she turned to her next customer. It was hot work standing in front of four stoves all day but it was enjoyable all the same, not least for all the conversations she had. During the War it had been their main means of gaining important snippets of security information in order to plant the explosives without getting caught.

"I'm thinking that Jayne might decide to jump ship the way he's ravin' on about that food." It was Captain Reynolds. He crossed his arms and inspected Bane's counter.

"He'll need to cook before my brother would even consider it. Can't have someone who ain't useful."

"He's useful, but not in the kitchen."

"What can I serve you, Captain?" She could tell that Reynolds did not go in for Cobb's kind of banter. She watched him sniff the various dishes.

"Well, I tried a bit of that lamb you gave Jayne and it just about knocked my head off."

"The food or Jayne?" enquired Bane innocently. Reynolds gave a short laugh.

"Well I won't be doing either again, but it's been a while since I've had me a nice bit of lamb."

"I can tone it down for you, Captain." She already had it in her head how he would best like his lamb, hint of mint, heavy on the dried apricots and plenty of sauce. Her hands worked fast to make the combinations and she did not turn her head as she shouted again to Maloranty to pass some raisin rice.

"Your brother tells me that you're the one who has skills other than cooking." Bane looked up at him guardedly.

"Isn't that why you arranged to meet us – because of my skills?"

"Could've used them a mite sooner, I thinkin'," said Mal. Bane shrugged noncommittally but had something she wanted to ask him.

"Tell me something, Captain. Most of us what fought in the War can wrangle together explosives for most purposes. Why do you need me?" She picked up a bowl and started to dish up.

"You're right, but you've prob'ly answered your own query there. This job ain't a big bang, but more subtle-like."

"I hope it's not your usual kind of subtle," she could not resist saying, but the Captain seemed to take it in good grace and smiled. "There you go, Captain," she handed him the dishes and he went and sat down with his crew. He had not been as she expected. The myth was most certainly way larger than the man and she was not disappointed that the myth had been wrong.

"Gorram it, Tony, I ain't ruttin' going." Bane shouted at her brother and paced around his quarters.

"This job pays like all of us was in on it, but your skills is the only one what's needed and Reynolds has specifically requested just you." Tony had been surprised when Mal had said – about an hour ago – that he only wanted Bane along, but that the pay-off would still be the same.

"So you lot stay here havin' a nice holiday while I have to sail off to who knows where with Reynolds and do this job alone."

"You didn't mind the last time," he countered, referring to her lucrative escapade about a year ago.

"That was different – they was family." She had gone off to help some Pye cousins do a munitions job.

"Well, the family's getting smaller by the year and we need to keep this boat in the air. None of us wants to settle planet-side like the others, so this is us," he spread his hands indicating the space around them, "and we have to live." Besides, he thought privately, it might do her some good, she was getting awful grouchy these days ever since that _shu ma nyaow_ had broken their engagement. Bane already knew she was going, the work was too profitable for them to pass up, even if she was the one doing all the work.

"_Lao bao jun_," she grumbled good naturedly, "I'm taking decent food with me though. I ain't eatin' any _ta ma de_ protein bars."

"I'm sure Captain Reynolds won't mind that. Just don't forget the explosives."

"When does he want to leave?" Bane was already composing lists of things to take in her head.

"Before dawn," he said quietly, expecting and receiving more of his sister's outpouring of Chinese curses. What with creating the tricks and working all day at the Eatings, Bane had been awake for more than two days now. "I know, I know," he said, "but they have a small window for this job and are already running late."

"Well he best be prepared for me to be cantankerous."

"Must be used to it, having so many women on board." Tony feigned ducking his sister's hand swipe with a grin and then grew serious for a moment. "Just make sure you come back in one piece, _xiao mei mei_."

"Welcome, Bane," said the young bubbly woman who introduced herself as Kaylee, "It's so shiny to have someone new on board to talk to." Bane was carrying in two heavy bags into Serenity's main cargo area. Everything was a lot smaller than the Rosalyn. She was introduced to Zoe, second in command. Bane could tell immediately she had served Infantry as well and it was not just the tan coloured pants that gave her away.

"Yeh," agreed Jayne, coming in from the makeshift gym area, "Maybe I won't be the only gorram person not gettin' any fer a change."

"Jayne!" chorused Zoe and Kaylee together as Bane laughed. Jayne shrugged his shoulders as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Where do I stow my wrappings and where do I stow the things that go bang?" Zoe held out her hand for the explosives and Kaylee beckoned her to the guest quarters. Jayne, who always got curious about new passengers, specially females ones, followed them.

"Have my bunk if you want," he muttered, half serious.

"Shiny," replied Bane, "You'll be sleeping elsewhere then." Kaylee sniggered. Bane shook hands with the ship's doctor as they passed the Med Bay. He was introduced as Simon, who could not look more Core-bred if he had tried.

"Simon's sister, River, is our pilot, so she's getting' ready fer us to leave," explained Kaylee. Bane nodded, everyone this side of the 'Verse knew about Serenity's change of pilot and the circumstances of Wash's death.

"I bought some eatings with me," she indicated her bulging bag, "but I gotta sleep first – it's been a long day."

"Will you marry me?" ask Jayne, causing everyone to laugh, including himself. Bane could tell she would have to watch her step with Jayne and not take the banter too far – she would not be here for long. The crew of Serenity turned out to be entirely friendly for the most part. Apparently the resident Companion, Inara Serra was currently doing business on Persephone. Bane was relieved. The Companion would remind her too much about some of the things she did during the War in order to gather information and the less she was reminded about that and what had happened after the War, the better. She was shown a guest bunk, much to Jayne's disappointment. It was small but neat and clean.

"My own room? This is luxury," she could not help exclaiming.

"You mean you have to share on your ship?" Kaylee wondered, a little too enthusiastically for Simon, who tried to seem like he was not interested by smoothing an imaginary crease on his waistcoat.

"Well, yeh, with my five cousins – but they're family; warts, smelly feet an' all." Bane did not think it was that unusual. When they had their family cruiser before the war she shared the sleeping quarters with all four of her brothers.

"Let's leave our guest in peace, shall we," came the Captain's voice over the com, "Some of you have to help us take off." The edge to his voice made Kaylee jump and rush away. The others left, all except Jayne who propped his large frame against the door. He wanted to test the waters.

"That's a mighty pretty knife you've got there," he said pointing to the one she had buckled at her hip, "Got me a nice big one as well." Bane laughed, it had been a long time since she had this kind of conversation and she was out of practice. Sometimes travelling with your relatives did have a down side.

"Might not want to put my skills to the test, Mr Cobb, I'm used to cutting up meat in very thin slices." Jayne flinched and turned to go. She heard him chuckling and he shouted a 'call me Jayne' back at her from down the corridor. Bane dumped her jacket and bag on the floor and lay on the bed. She gave a few deep sighs and promptly fell asleep. The ship was very quiet when she woke. She took a blissfully hot shower and changed clothes. She had not received the full tour when arriving, but she did not think it would be that hard to find the galley in order to drop off the food she had brought with her. She was a bit hungry come to think of it. The clock in her room showed about 0430hrs so she presumed everyone must be asleep. The galley was easy to find and prettily decorated and there was a small seating area off to the side. It was much larger than their galley and it was obvious it was the centre of the ship, much like the bunk room on the Rosalyn Pye.

"Jayne's having yuckie dreams 'bout you," the voice made her jump up from behind the counter. When she saw who it was she bent back down and closed the cupboard.

"That's a comforting thought. You must be River. I'm pleased to meet you." Bane held out her hand, but River did not take it.

"You cook good food," was River's reply. Bane noticed that she was barefoot as well. May be she and her brother were on to something.

"Thank you. It's a family thing."

"My family is Simon," she said. Bane felt like she was being studied but River was not looking at her directly.

"Looks like this whole ship is your family. Would you like some food now? I haven't eaten myself." River did not answer but smiled in response. Bane noisily ferreted her way around the galley trying to find the various utensils. She had brought her knives with her – no self respecting cook ever went anywhere without their knives. As she cooked she tried to gauge what kind of food River would like and how to cook it.

"You want to know how I like my food?" River starred at her, puzzled. Bane blinked. She had heard of readers but had never met one. It explained a lot about the famous Reynolds luck.

"Well, yes. It is what I like to try and do for everyone."

"Tell me what I like," she challenged with a grin. Bane looked at her face and then scanned her body. If River was a reader then she knew every thought that was going through her head, so she might as well speak them out loud.

"You were at the Eatings but didn't come to my counter, so there is a possibility you don't like meat. Yes, I conjure you're a vegetarian. You like fresh food the most, I'm guessing especially tomatoes and peaches – but not together." River's mouth had opened.

"You are a reader too," she stated and gave Bane a brilliant smile. Bane warmed to her, she reminded Bane of the gangling young adult she had been once, before the War.

"I wouldn't say that, but I do know how to cook and make things go boom." River had now rested her elbows on the counter in front of her and they continued to chat. Bane cooked a dish which she though River would like. Unfortunately, she had bought no fresh ingredients, but she had some tins with her. They sat at the table eating and were making conversation in between mouthfuls.

"Why aren't you married?" she asked, making another spectacularly quick change of subject. A moment ago they had been discussing the merits of rice over pasta. Bane could not prevent the thoughts running through her head and she could see that River knew. They were both silent, River realising that she had crossed the line but not having enough social skills to apologise. Bane stood and picked up their empty plates. River spoke quietly, "They are not all like that, you know, and you have other things to do." Bane felt the tears prick her eyes, it was not something she wanted to wade through, especially with someone as young as River.

"I see you've met our little albatross," came the Captain's voice an instant before he walked in the room from his quarters. Bane started and quickly wiped her eyes roughly with her hand. She turned around and bent her head to do the dishes.

"_Shi_, Captain, you have a most interesting and talented crew." She cleared her throat and looked around. "Can I make you something too?"

"I didn't hire you to cook, so don't feel as you have to, even if Jayne makes you all kinds of offers. I'll sort myself out." He finished buttoning up his shirt and ran his hand through his hair. Bane wiped her hands on a cloth.

"In that case, are you going to fill me in on what exactly you did hire me to do?" Bane now noticed that River had withdrawn from the room without a sound. Reynolds gestured for her to sit down while he made strong coffee – his breakfast. As it turned out he was making one for her as well, although she was too polite to say that she loathed the stuff.

"We're heading back to Persephone. The job is in the Takoma district," one of the richest parts of the planet, "I'd be lyin' if'n I said this was going to be easy. Short of it is there is a warehouse on one of the estates that needs emptyin', nice and quiet like, as the owners, security and all amounts of hell will still be in residence." He handed her the cup which she used to warm her hands.

"Shiny. Carry on," she blew softly into the mug of coffee, trying not to smell it too much because it might make her gag. Reynolds was leaning against the counter, he liked drinking his coffee when it was hot.

"A drainage pipe that's been unsealed will take us onto the land without detection, but the openin' of the warehouse –"

"Needs a real nice quiet boom," Bane finished.

"Exactly," agreed Mal, "Can you do it?" Bane nodded firmly and then tilted her head as a new thought came to her.

"Carryin' a warehouse full of stuff marks us out for attention though. How we gonna get it out?"

"Had me some transports made up that will fit in the pipes. Once we're out of the place we can load it up." Bane put the mug down on the table, his plan sounded mighty simple, too simple.

"That might take a while, s'alright if we don't get disturbed," she said.

"You just work on your bit, leave the planning to me." Reynolds stood up and headed to the cockpit with his coffee.

"No problem, Captain," Bane was already cooking up a few more gadgets in her head in case the simple turned into the complicated. As soon as he was gone she got up and poured the coffee down the sink with a grimace.

"And Bane . . ." She jumped again – man sure did like creeping around his ship.

"You ain't the only one who can tell what another's like and dislikes are - next time ask for tea." Bane grinned ruefully and bowed her head to the Captain in acknowledgement of his perception.

The Persephone landing that evening was a little rough due to one bitch of a storm. They landed at the docks to establish their presence there and to pass around the word of how long they were in town. Zoe and Bane were dressed in fine clothes – borrowed from Inara's trunk – and they caught a transport to the Takoma district. Bane wore a long gown which concealed some tricks and her tool knife. Zoe had a whole armoury under hers. In her bag Bane carried the main device. They had papers for them to be museum workers on their way to a dig site on the far side (and opposite direction to where they needed to be) of Takoma. It was a pleasant trip once the rain had stopped. It was a public transport so neither of them spoke much. At one point Bane had a business man sitting next to her wanting to talk. When he started to politely make conversation it took her back to the jobs she did during the War and she started to engage with him. She gave little details explaining where they were going and in return managed to extract every minute detail from him down to his shoe size and mother's maiden name. She realised that she had not lost her touch after so long. They left the transport at the Lo Shi hotel and Bane gave the businessman the brush off without him even considering he had been. They stood outside the hotel with their bags.

"That was a neat trick back there," said Zoe, looking across the road.

"I wasn't sure whether I still had the skills," Bane was rather pleased with herself and could not help but smile, "Used to have to get information from Alliance officers in order to gain access to the depots." Zoe turned and leaned in to Bane, deadly serious.

"You want to practise your skills, that's fine – Captain may even want to make use of 'em when he finds out – but you ever jeopardise a job of ours like that again, I'll shoot you myself. _Dong ma_?" Bane's mouth had opened a little in shock. Zoe did not move and was waiting for an answer.

"_Shi_," responded Bane quietly and then, uncharacteristically, she apologised. She knew she would never have apologised or admitted she was wrong to her brother. Zoe said nothing else but she did nod. Fortunately, Reynolds and Jayne, who could not really pass for Core-bred and honest travellers, came out via a hired personal transport sporting matching uniforms, no less. Bane had to try really hard not to laugh at Jayne's attempt to be gentleman-like (for appearance sake only) and help her and Zoe into the transport. She had to admit that they both looked equally as dashing all dressed up in collars and tight pants.

They reached the remote area where the tunnel access started about half an hour later. The tense silence on the transport had now eased into a professional calm. Zoe was working on the security to the tunnel entrance, Jayne and the Captain were putting together the transports and Bane was unpacking her tricks. Zoe went up to Mal.

"Figure we got about thirty seconds to get in through this access gate. It's going to be smelly work. You sure this is the best way in, Captain?" Reynolds wrinkled his nose, he had already got a whiff of what usually went in that tunnel.

"I wouldn't be making this our first choice if it wasn't," he answered. Zoe nodded and returned to the access grate to continue what she was doing. Bane stripped off her gown. She had put on shorts and long-sleeved top. Although it was summer here there was a cold wind, the aftermath of the storm. She buckled on her specially made tool belt which held some tricks, wires and other things that she might need.

"We all getting' nekkid?" encouraged Jayne enthusiastically. Zoe had not worn anything special. She was wearing her usual tan pants, knee length boots and leather waistcoat under her gown, along with her short-barrelled shotgun which was like an extra limb.

"Still gotta look shiny and clean when we finish this," explained Mal pulling off his shirt so he was stripped to the waist. Jayne now did the same although he was sporting a rather threadbare and sweat stained vest rather than bare flesh. When they were all ready to enter the tunnel, Zoe flipped the switch and a minute buzzing was heard.

"Now," she whispered, although there was no one around to hear them. Mal went first, followed by Zoe then Bane. Jayne followed up the rear, closing the grate behind him with few seconds to spare. The tunnel was large enough for them to sit on the low-lying transports but Jayne and Mal had to duck their heads a little. The smell took some getting used to. Jayne threw up and vowed to himself that he would not eat before a job again – at least not one that involved tunnels. They started up the engines of their transports. They were noisy and there was a chance of them being heard but it was one of the many risks they were taking. They drove through the mud and effluent for what seemed about an hour until Mal gave the signal to power down. Mal switched off his torch.

"We push from here," he said, "The next grate is the main gate of the estate and we need to be real quiet." They pushed the transports for a further half mile until they came to the first access grate. They were in pitch dark and attempting to be extremely quiet. After passing the grate Mal switched his torch back on and so did the others. The transports were easy to push as they were free of cargo but Bane figured it would be a harder trip back. She was sweating and out of breath by the time they stopped again further down the tunnel. She turned around and swung her torch on Jayne when she heard him sniggering.

"What are you laughing at?" she hissed angrily.

"I got me the most almighty prettiest view from here," whispered Jayne and Bane realised that he had been staring at her ass the whole time. She would not have thought twice about it with family but maybe shorts were not the best idea in this company.

"_Bi zui_," said Reynolds. Zoe crawled over her transport and jumped to Mal's, pointing her device at the access hatch. She crouched back down and spoke to them all.

"It's clear, but we only have time to take two of us up through the hole. Bane an' me will need to set up the dummy hatch before being able to let you two up." Bane got up onto Mal's transport with Zoe.

"We'll push the transports further up so we're facing right when we need to drop the goods." Bane boosted Zoe up through the grate and Reynolds did the same with Bane. As Zoe closed the grate again they heard Mal whisper "_Zhu yi_." The earth around the grate was wet and muddy. Bane got one of the tricks out of her belt. She made a few quick adjustments and set it down on the ground by the existing grate. They could hear the men below moving the transports. Bane stripped the wires and wound one end through some of the spokes of the dummy grate and then gently and delicately twisted the wire around the active grate. They gave each other a significant glance as Zoe flicked the switch on her device. The green light came on and the air rushed out of both of their lungs at once. Zoe lifted the now inactive grate upright and called down to Mal and Jayne.

"Shiny, Captain. Ready to go." Reynolds stuck his head up through the hole and took Zoe's hand. Jayne followed quickly behind him. Once all above ground their only light was the moon and although the storm had stopped, it was still very cloudy. The could see the main estate to the south all lit up and fancy. The warehouse was only about twenty yards from where they were standing. They were already wet, smelly and dirty from the tunnel and being above ground just after a heavy storm did not improve the landscape none. They all ran low and quiet to the warehouse. They could not see any guards. Reynolds told them to stay put while he and Zoe scouted around the building.

"Captain says no guns on this one," said Bane rummaging in her pack but seeing Jayne reach to check his holster.

"Spoils most of the fun," muttered Jayne, slapping his knife. Bane brought out what she had been looking for.

"Use this if someone comes. You switch it on there," she showed him, "and you have about three seconds to throw it if you don't want to set the timer."

"I thought we're s'pos to be quiet. Won't do no good attracting ourselves a load more company." He turned the device around to try and get a better view with the moon light.

"It's a short range EMP grenade and makes no noise at all. Throw it and it'll knock out all weapons and comms in a fifteen foot area for about five minutes. They will still be able to fight hand to hand, but not call for help."

"Cool," said Jayne, pleased with his new toy. Zoe and Reynolds arrived back and she handed them each one too with instructions.

"The goods are in the south corner there," pointed Zoe. If the moon had not been out from behind the clouds she could have been pointing anywhere and they would not have been able to see. Bane walked there with the Captain leaving Zoe and Jayne to watch their backs. Bane felt the walls of the warehouse as they walked to the south corner. It was metal plating, just what she had planned for. Once at the spot she turned and looked at the estate. The south corner of the warehouse was in full vision of the estate.

"_Ni ta ma de_," whispered Bane.

"What is it?" said Mal, hand automatically going to his gun holster. He looked around as a precaution before turning back to Bane.

"Quiet I can do, but this device lights things up a bit. We'll be a mite visible to anyone watching from the estate." Mal echoed her curses. "Depends how big I make the hole o' course," she added. Mal settled a bit.

"Well, I ain't sure about the length, but height and width can't be more'n the size of that tunnel or grate we just sweated through, or I'm gonna be real annoyed." Bane noticed that Reynolds often spoke flippantly but there was always a definite threat underneath that could be carried out. Bane placed the wires around a one of the panels of the warehouse about the size of the tunnel. She stuck it with a specially made putty, another of her recipes.

"You guys will need to stand in front of this and try and block some of the light, if you stand far enough in front then you will cover more. 'You'll also be a way closer to being seen by anyone looking in this direction." Bane stood up and turned to him. "I need a boost to fix the top half." Mal cleared his throat, squatted slightly and held his hands clasped in front of him so Bane could put her foot in them. He pushed up allowing Bane to grab the ledge and hook on a restraint. The metal was still slippery from the storm. She hung by her waist and then swivelled upside down. She stilled herself with her feet. Mal was a little taken aback.

"You once part of a circus or somethin'?" he said to the back of her head. Bane chuckled, feeling the rush of blood to her head. There were a lot of things this night that were bringing back memories of past times.

"Had to put tricks in some awful tight places sometimes," she explained, "Helps to be nimble about it."

"Yeh, just don't tell Jayne or you'll have yourself a stalker." Bane tried to laugh but upside down it came out as a snort. She was done though and twirled herself upright again, unhooked and dropped silently to the ground.

"Ready, Captain," she said, tidying up her tools which were now a little muddy. "You and the others'll need to be about twenty yards away and stand close together."

"Shiny," he replied, and went off around the warehouse to find Jayne and Zoe. Bane let the light-headedness from hanging upside down settle before putting together the detonators. The blast would blow outwards and into the warehouse so she could be close, just not looking at it. She cursed when she realised she had forgotten to tell the others about not looking at the light. It would temporarily blind anyone who was too close and looking at it. She bolted after Mal and then kept running around the building when she did not see him. She was coming around the second corner when she heard someone else's voice and she stopped.

"... Ruttin' radio ain't working, Clyde, an' we gotta call this in." Bane froze. She peered around the north corner to see Jayne, Zoe and Mal with their hands raised opposite two security guards. Bane felt for a stone in the mud. She found one and threw it at the guard holding the gun. It hit him on the side of the head and all hell broke loose. Mal and Zoe went for the guard nearest them. Jayne and now Bane ran to catch the other one who had already started to race away. Bane was already running and caught up with him but had no way of stopping him except to just lunge him. So she did. They both went down with a huge puff of air from their lungs. By the time the guard recovered enough to struggle free from her grip, Jayne had caught up and after a swift blow to the head he was out cold. Jayne dragged the guard back to the edge of the warehouse to sit beside his unconscious friend. Bane picked herself up off the ground. She had scraped her legs, arms and chin on the rocky ground. Along with all the mud it must have made a very pretty picture. She was glad of the darkness. The others had made sure the guards were tightly bound and Jayne had stamped on the radios and acquired the weapons. Mal knew it was time to get going. Someone would come looking for these two soon. He was glad that Jayne had been playing with Bane's trick at the time the guards had come upon them – but had thrown it too far away so it only knocked out the com and not the weapons.

"Let's get this job done," said Mal who then turned to Bane in the dark, "Glad you came along when you did."

"I came to tell you not to look at the light when the device goes off otherwise someone'll have to hold your hand to get you home." They walked around the warehouse again and she watched the three of them head out towards the estate. When they stopped and bunched together she could no longer see the building. Bane moved away from the immediate area, shielded her eyes and pressed the detonator. The flash of light was strong but brief and the noise was minimal, like a distant roll of thunder. The noisy bit came from the metal hole falling inwards into the warehouse. Bane went through the hole and switched on the torch. It was a cavern of a warehouse that was not very full. It was full of farming implements and other miscellanea until she shined her torch on some crates that stood out like pink fluff on a rabbit.

"_Wo de ma_," she exclaimed. The others had come in behind her.

"Move fast, people, we gotta get this stuff in the tunnel," ordered the Captain. Whatever was in the crates it was marked up to the eyeballs with Alliance military tags. Anyone not in Alliance uniform seen carrying it around would be bound-by-law in seconds. The crates were heavy but not impossible to carry between two. They could fit about three on each transport. The easiest thing was to take them out of the warehouse and dump them by the access grate. Once that was done it was some kind of difficult to get them down the grate and onto the transports. Bane and Zoe passed the boxes down to Mal and Jayne. It seemed to take hours and still they were not disturbed. They had fortunately tied the guards up well out of sight from where they were at the moment, so they would hopefully take a while to figure out how they had got away. Bane untapped the dummy grate and dropped herself down the hole, with Zoe close behind her. It was about an hour shy of dawn and they needed to get moving. Mal was already up front pushing his transport away. Bane found it much heavier going and longed for them to pass the next grate so they could start up the engines. She was surprised that all their heavy breathing was not heard above ground, but they finally got past the second grate far enough to start the engines.

The sky had changed colour by the time they reached the end. They unloaded and reloaded mechanically and without talking. Time was running out fast. They were now able to see what state they were all in. When they were done loading and Jayne was dismantling the transport, Zoe turned to Bane and uncharacteristically started laughing.

"What is it?" Bane asked, she looked at her hands and they were covered in mud, as well as her legs. Mal had stopped as well.

"Reckon we outta drop you off at Jaynestown?" said Zoe. Jayne looked up then as well and started laughing too.

"Yep," said Jayne, "Full of mudders. You'd fit right in." Bane had no reflective surface to look at herself. The others were dirty too, apart from Zoe, who only seemed to have muddy boots.

"We'll need to clean up if we're passing through the Core areas." Bane uncorked a water canteen and poured it over her face and rubbed her hands. She felt some stinging and presumed that she had cut herself too, but it seemed fairly superficial. There was no point cleaning the rest of herself as it would be hidden by the gown. She passed the bottle to Jayne. They washed and changed and got back into the transport.

"Din't your mother ever teach you to wash behind your ears, Jayne?" said Zoe, pinching Jayne's ear.

"Na, she was too busy telling me off for fightin'." He rubbed the mud off his ear and started up the transport. The Captain was extremely tense and quiet, too afraid that something was going to go wrong as it had so many times. The fact that it had not was worse. They drove through past the hotel and through the district and towards the docks. Mal commed the ship to get them to open the cargo bay so they could drive straight in. Bane was very relieved, things having gone very smoothly with no hiccups. She had no idea that Captain Reynold's plans had a habit of ending kind of messed up. The silence broke as the cargo bay door closed behind them.

"Reckon we've got ourselves a good luck charm, Cap'n," said Jayne moving round to unload the crates.

"Why should a well-executed plan go awry?" said Bane, stepping down from the transport and shedding her gown. She looked to see Zoe trying her best to smother a smile. Reynolds gave her a glare and cleared his throat self consciously.

"I'll admit things don't always run this smooth. But we're not out of the woods yet. Let's get this stuff unloaded. Kaylee," who had closed the bay door behind them, "Return the transport once we've unloaded."

"Whatcha been doin'? You guys fair stink," Kaylee wrinkled her nose for full effect.

"Just earnin' our crust, girl. You best give this thing a clean, we don't want to let on where we've been and how far." Kaylee knew the Captain did not just mean cleaning the outside, but also the distance counter.

"We went to the Lo Shi hotel and then make it up from there," said Zoe.


	2. Hun Dan

"You know, Miss Pye, about the prettiest site I ever saw was you tacklin' that gorram guard," Jayne had followed her to the wash area. The man seemed to have a penchant for propping himself up in doorways.

"Well I certainly look a sight now," she said, face up to the mirror. There was no way she would have passed for Core-bred if they had been stopped. Her face had several scratches and the mud caked her hair. She grabbed a towel and headed for the fortunately lockable shower, not putting it past Jayne to offer to scrub her back. During the blissful twenty minutes or so she was in there she felt the ship take off and they broke atmo shortly afterwards. After changing in her room she headed off to find the Doc in the Med bay. She came upon him and Kaylee in a tight and wandering embrace. She coughed and they sprang apart like guilty thieves.

"Sorry to but in, Doc, but I just wanted you to check out my bumps and bruises to make sure I'd not cracked or broken anything." Simon looked surprised as it was not often someone came to see him voluntarily, they usually had to be bleeding, unconscious or incapacitated.

"Certainly," he replied, fully composed now. "Sit down on the couch, please."

"It's a very comfy couch," said Kaylee strolling towards the door with a naughty gleam in her eyes, "Not good if you want to try different positions though," and she disappeared leaving Simon with a red face and Bane trying to find somewhere else to look. She was silent for a moment and then her curiosity got the better of her.

"Tell me, Doc, do the Captain's jobs always go this smooth?" Simon actually laughed but he carried on with his examination like a true professional.

"Put it this way, I'm usually patching up bullet holes and knife wounds, not scraped knees and bruises." Bane was surprised as it seemed to her that everything went like clockwork. He finished his exam, "You're fine. Just bruises and scrapes, just like you said. What's this scarring?" he had lifted up her sleeve, "Tribal scars?"

"You could say that." She pulled her sleeve down quickly. "Thanks, Doc." Bane jumped down and headed towards the galley. The others were there, but only Mal had not changed clothes yet. She went to the counter and was about to start making something to eat.

"You cookin' again?" asked Jayne eagerly.

"Jayne, she ain't our hired cook. It's your turn anyway," stated Mal firmly, before she could answer.

"Gorram it," he replied, "You know I ain't very good at it." Bane could not resist offering to help, aside from the fact she wanted to eat sooner rather than later.

"I'll help you, if you want," she said. Jayne, of course, took her words as a sign of attraction instead of a genuine offer of help. Mal rolled his eyes at Zoe.

"Great," sighed Mal, "You get whatever's comin' to you, Bane. The man won't leave you now, sure as stink."

"Aw, Mal, I'm jus' tryin' to be friendly."

"Your kind of friendly gets people bound-by-law," said Zoe. Reynolds left the galley to get washed up and Zoe sat down at the table, despite a glare from Jayne. Bane set about showing Jayne how to make a basic meal with cooked mince and rice and how to vary the spices according to taste. He was a surprisingly quick learner and in no time Zoe was on the com telling the others that food was ready. It was the first time Bane had sat with most of them at the same time. Kaylee lit some candles and lowered the main lighting. Bane had also made a few other dishes while Jayne had been in charge of the meat. It was a pleasant warm environment that reminded her very much of the ship she called home, complete with the petty bickering between Simon and Jayne. They were very much a family.

"We're always hearin' what the Cap'n and Zoe did during the war, Bane, what did you do?" asked Kaylee in her usual guileless and innocent manner. Bane looked at Reynolds and Zoe before talking, there were always some things you never talked about with civilians, but they were all adults and the youngest member was at the controls.

"My Ma and me used to have flying eatings in the Core planets, Ariel and the like. We also specialised in blowing up munitions and transport depots. Jobs further out were mainly Alliance com stations. You hear about the Londinium weapons factory?" Mal's eyebrows raised and he looked at Zoe.

"Word on the Cortex was that was a whole brigade of Independents – but none of us did hear which one. Place went sky high. Put back Alliance weapon production by three months."

"No, it was just two of us. It was real sweet, took about two months prep though."

"You must have some big fat hairy ones," observed Jayne with his own weird kind of respect.

"Well it wasn't warm and fluffy," she responded with a short smile, "But after that last battle on Hera it all went to _go se_ and we were humped."

"Someone fingered you to the Alliance?" asked Zoe. Bane shrugged as if it was ancient history.

"Kind of – it was contracted out as the Alliance were busy trying to end the war. We were set up and pinched. Ma was killed outright and for a time I wished I had been too." She could see Kaylee wanted to ask more and Bane knew it would only be a matter of time before she would wheedle it out of her. She sighed and continued.

"I was sold to one of the unlicensed brothels on Ariel and then got passed further down the food chain on different worlds for about four years. Until my family found me." There was silence, even from Jayne who now had a totally different look in his eyes, as did the others. Well, it had to come out eventually. "Turned out there was or is an outstanding warrant for my arrest on the Cortex, but whoever the Alliance had hired to bring me in had messed up. Luckily Pye wasn't the name I went by during the War."

"But now you have your family around you again," said Kaylee, horrified at the story, but determined to find good in the situation. Mal decided to step in and change the subject.

"Did you ever find out who turned you in?" he asked with interest. It was well known that keeping things secret had been one of the hardest things as an Independent.

"Nope, never did find that out. My brother found me through luck and hearsay and legally bought me off the _hun dan_ who was my current owner so's no one would come after us. Cost him more than a year's worth of platinum. If I'd had a choice I would have blown the ruttin' _gou cao de_ to hell four times over." The room was silent. Bane got up and spooned some food into a bowl. "I'll just take this to River, she must be hungry as well." She left before anyone could say more. She was glad that it had been a short and successful job and she would be returning to her family again. Things always changed when people knew you had been someone's whore for four years as she knew from personal experience. They were irreparable when they saw you had the scars to prove it too.

"Here you go River, I've brought you some dinner." River swivelled in her seat, she was resting her chin on one of her knees.

"You escape the uncomfortable conversation to come and spend time with a reader?" Bane had not even thought, but laughed at her own stupidity.

"Had to come out sometime," she defended.

"No it didn't. It's your way of keeping them away, so you don't get attached." Bane sat in one of the other chairs and played with the long plait of brown hair she had.

"You're right, of course, but you ain't a head doctor, either."

"Like I don't need one myself," said River and Bane looked up to see she was smiling. She took it for the joke it was and smiled back. The Captain arrived and Bane vacated the seat, discovering it was his. She was not sure she understood the plastic dinosaur decorations but was too polite to ask.

"How long before we're back at Haven, Captain?" she asked.

"Have to meet up with Jones for a drop of some other goods, then make the drop on Regina and then back to Persephone to pick up Inara. Should take two weeks in all." Bane's hope sank, so much for telling all then bolting. She looked across at River who shrugged an 'I told you so'.

"Right. I don't suppose you mentioned that to my brother when you requested my expertise." She turned to go. Reynolds ignored the comment.

"Got a few things I still need you to do," he said. "We've gotta drop this cargo in the middle of nowhere and I ain't exactly comfortable with the company that might be picking it up. Can you rig up some tricks that need a remote code to either detonate or stop?"

"So if it doesn't go smooth we can blow the goods up or give them the code to open the crates?" she offered.

"I ain't gonna detonate something that I crawled through miles of _go se_ to collect, no, but I need you to make it look like I would."

"Piece of pie, so to speak. I can rig up a dummy explosion in a different location."

"Now you're on my way of thinkin'," Mal stretched in his chair, he was feeling the day.

"How long have I got?" she asked.

"Well we're takin' the scenic route to Regina, so about five days." Bane knew the tricks would only take her one day to create. She left the Captain and River and escaped the back way to the guest quarters.

"Wounds heal quick, but the mind takes longer," stated Reynolds to no one in particular. River could apply his words to everyone on the ship, not just Bane. She ate her meal with one hand and effortlessly plotted their route with the other. In her quarters Bane tried to sleep but found she could not, so she set about planning the next tricks. From what Mal said the job of handing over the goods and safely receiving the money in return was not going to be as easy. After several hours of working she needed to loosen the muscles and the makeshift gym near the cargo bay was the only place to do that. Bane went quietly there and tested various apparatus until she settled on the pull-up bars. She started by lifting herself up with her arms to touch the bar with her chin. After several sets she hung upside down from them and raised herself to touch her feet. It was hard going but she felt the better for it. It cleared her mind and she cursed herself for being a gorram idiot and being afraid all the time that someone might find out and always hiding behind her family. Like River said, it was no way to live your life. After another quick shower Bane went to where Zoe had hid her explosive kit and started some constructing.

"Got you some tea," said Jayne's voice punctuating her sleep. She raised her head and found she was still in the cargo bay and had fallen asleep at the job. She took the proffered cup. "Not sure as you don't prefer coffee, but it's what I was makin' anyway."

"Thanks, Jayne," she said, surprised at his concern, "What time is it?"

"Some time after six. You been up all night?"

"Couldn't sleep – or I thought I couldn't," she corrected. Jayne sat down. He looked a lot more serious than the day before, but it did not last long.

"Whatcha makin'?" He inspected the half-constructed devices in front of her. Pushing a few things with his finger. It all just looked like wires and electrical mess to him.

"Cap'n wants some tricks to make sure the deal goes smoothly," Bane started to clean up the mess.

"Like as not it won't – 'though I don't know now, might be you are a good luck charm after all," answered Jayne. Bane laughed, apparently Jayne was not disturbed by the fact she had been someone's whore.

"Anymore sweet-talking like that, Jayne Cobb, an' I might be cooking you breakfast," Bane took a sip of her tea. Jayne sniggered.

"Hell, I'd go walking in the Black without a suit if'n it meant coming back to fresh meals ever' day."

"Looks like the way to your heart for any girl is definitely through your stomach. Well, Cap'n says it'll be at least two weeks afore we return to Haven, so you have my cooking talents at your disposal."

"They's the only talents on offer?"

"Jayne!" shouted Zoe, before Bane could think of a witty response. She was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Aiya, I was just jokin' with the lady."

"Don't care about that none, she can look after herself. Cap'n says we're comin' up on the Bird – need to saddle up." Jayne quickly left as Zoe came down the steps into the bay.

"Do you need me?" asked Bane. She packed away her kit into the store again.

"No. This is a drop off for some other goods we picked up before we met you on Haven."

"'Far as I know there ain't a planet nearby 'tween here and Regina," she queried.

"'Taint a planet we're meetin' with. It's another vessel."

"You're worried about it then," stated Bane, she could tell Zoe was more tense than usual. Zoe looked at her in surprise at her perception.

"Could be. Prefer the planet-side meetin's as if'n it goes wrong you don't find yourself gasping for air."

"Could this one go wrong?" Zoe did not answer but gave her a long look. It would not hurt to be cautious. Jones had not waved to ask if they were on their way which was a little unusual. And Zoe had been in this business too long not to trust her instincts.

"Might be we can use you," she pondered, "When we pull up and go aboard, you think you could sneak on with some tricks without being seen?"

"Might be I can. Done it before." This job was bringing back more memories by the hour.

As they approached the vessel they could see it was more than six times the size of Serenity and run by a man called Hans Jones, another opportunist like Reynolds and well known. Bane had heard of him, he dealt in stolen Core supplies which he sold at high profit to the Rim worlds. He was trustworthy enough but she had heard he in turn dealt with some who were not. The usual formalities were undertaken when Serenity docked to one of the hatches of the Silver Bird. The Silver Bird was largely becoming the size of a small space station and was no longer able to make runs planetside. They all noticed there was lots of construction underway outside the ship.

"Not surprised Jones wanted us to come to him," muttered Reynolds, his own gut feelings starting to get itchy.

"He's going up in the world," said Jayne, unconcerned. They walked through Serenity's door towards the docking hatch. From her vantage point Bane could see a large cargo bay with lots of supplies stored there. When the engineer was masked by Serenity's crew Bane slipped through the door and into the main cargo bay of the Bird. There were plenty of stores and crates to hide behind, the place was a mess.

"Looks like his standards are slipping, his place is usually tidy," said Zoe to Mal. Mal and Jayne carried a crate between them.

"Lot of new things hapnin'," responded the man at the com station. They were led out of the bay by someone else who had come to collect them, leaving Bane alone, or relatively.

"They in alright?" someone else had come into the bay.

"Yeh, sweet as lambs. They're in for one hell of a shock." Bane stomach clenched. She did not know if River could read people over a distance but she wished her all her worries and concerns anyway. The two men were chatting away but revealed nothing else, except how bad the food was on the station. She had to find out more as quickly as possible. She did her best to sneak from crate to crate without being seen. She finally reached the entrance and dived through, running to the next bit of cover. The place had been patched and plated several times with a new corridor here and a new cargo bay or quarters there. It would be easy to get lost. At a corridor junction she had no way of knowing which way the others had been taken. She had to find a com port to plug into. After several dead ends and more near misses she found one, but likely she had very little time before someone else happened along. The place was heaving with people. She found a port and plugged her device in to download the current schematics. As she then moved into a new hiding place she examined the read out.

"O, _zhe zhen shi ge kuaile de jinzhan_," she said and she was very nearly sick. It was apparent that Jones was no longer in charge, or even possibly alive, but that her former owner now was. For a wild and sweaty moment Bane was tempted to return to the Serenity but it was clear that there would be no escape. Serenity had been lured into a trap and all Bane's chickens were coming home to roost at once and she had never owned any. She used her respite hiding space to rig up a few more small tricks with the items she had bought with her. She always carried the EMP grenades but now they would need a whole lot more to get off this ship. She knew now where they were being taken and went part of the way under the main walkway, there being a nice convenient, if small, space underneath. There would not be much time once she got there. She had a knife and something else to hit people with but that was all. She passed the waste conduit, stuck some putty on, closed her eyes and heard it sizzle and tremor. She lifted it and peered in, receiving a waft of foul-smelling air in the process. As far as she could judge it went right through the ship. She went still as someone passed overhead, inches from her face. He spat through the grate and it landed on her forehead. She took out one of the grenades, set the timer and dropped it down the waste conduit. Hopefully it would drop a long way and keep people diverted elsewhere on the ship while she found the others.

She lifted up the grate, got out and ran around the corner. She came to the door of the room and stuck her ear to it. She hoped that the others were not facing the door as she placed some putty on. It would be hard enough to get back to the ship, but if she could get them out of this room then there was a chance. The silent boom hardly made a sound from the outside but the door fell away. Through the smoke and chaos she saw the others firmly bound but could not tell if they had been facing the door. There was no time to think. She struck out with the metal pipe and then leaped over the man's doubled-over body. She took out the knife and sliced through Zoe's bonds who took it from her to do the others. There was lots of shouting. She immediately activated another EMP grenade to stop any coms going out. The others had now joined in the fight.

Bane was grabbed by the neck and punched in the stomach. She rolled with it and then bought her head up to butt the man in the face which caused more than a few stars to appear in front of her eyes. She bought the metal bar around to jab it into his face. The boss man, she discovered, had apparently not arrived yet.

"Let's go," Zoe called urgently as they were running out of time. She was out of the door with Jayne on her heels. Reynolds did not move. Bane realised with a few choice curses at him that he had looked at the light and was now temporarily blind. She grabbed him by the arm and ran in Zoe and Jayne's wake. She pushed Mal through the outer door and turned to activate the trick to seal it. It fizzed and would hold the others hopefully just long enough for them to get away. Reynolds had not moved.

"Zoe!" he called, but her and Jayne were already out of hearing range. They had no weapons between them. The station rocked with an explosion making both of them catch their balance. The grenade should keep them busy for a while. She led Mal down the corridor.

"You looked at the light, didn't you, Captain?" she said, frustrated.

"Yes, I looked at the gorram bomb and I can't ruttin' see," Mal replied angrily, not at all liking being this vulnerable.

"It's just temporary," said Bane, "But we need to move now. There were two men in the engine room when I left it, both chatting at the com station." She threw an EMP grenade to Zoe who had come back to find out why they were not following. "Take this. I'll bring the Captain with me as soon as I can – I know a few hiding places."

"No, we all go together. We're not taking off without you, Sir." She looked around behind her.

"Do as she says, Zoe – we'll get ourselves armed," ordered Reynolds, "Take off. This place is a ruttin' rabbit warren. There must be hundreds of places to hide."

"Can we stop just talkin' about it and ruttin' move," moaned Jayne, who had taken a bit longer to figure out that the others were not behind him. They started to run. A guard came innocently round the corner and Zoe took him out with the end of her mule. There were more of them and for Zoe, Mal and Jayne it was all too familiar. The new owner of this station was the resurrected Adelai Niska and they had all walked into his nice neat trap. They were not far away from the cargo bay when the alarms started to go off. Then weapons fire was heard by them all from the other end. It was River, Bane knew it. She took Mal's gun from it's holster and turned around to start using it, thankful it was working again. May be they would not have to split up after all. Jayne, Zoe and Bane moved forward and Bane reached out for Mal's hand but it was not there. He was not there. Gorram it, she had just turned away seconds ago.

"He's gone, Zoe, I'm going after him." Zoe, was torn but knew that they had to get back to the ship for any hope of getting away or making a stand.

"Go," Zoe decided, "We'll hold them off as long as possible. If you don't make it back here try and get to the escape pods. From memory they used to be in Sector Twelve, in the belly of the station – we'll fly back and collect you but you'll be sitting ducks for a while."

"So, Mal, you thought you could escape me again?" wheedled Niska in his all too familiar Eastern European accent. Mal was being held between two of Niska's burly men. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, "I'd like to know who that ninja piece of _go se_ was. She might come in useful for me." They had taken Mal from the corridor and bought him direct to Niska's office.

"Sorry, Niska, I didn't see a thing," answered Mal belligerently, and was then punched and kicked by all three men that Niska had with him. Mal collapsed on the floor trying to catch his breath. He only had to delay this enough to allow the others to get away. Fortunately it looked like Niska had not had time to set up his little torture chamber again.

"Looks like I'm going to enjoy hurting you again. But first the formalities." He spoke into the com. "Where are the others?"

"They got away, sir," came the shaky answer. Niska did not look happy and Mal allowed himself a private smile. Zoe would figure out a way to rescue him. He began to think that it would not be a bad idea to hire on another gun hand as things seemed to get hairier by the month these days. Niska's lyrical voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Well, looks like your crew have decided to leave without you, Captain Reynolds. So much for loyalty."

"It's hard to find good people these days," returned Reynolds sarcastically. Niska signalled for them to tie him up. None of them had noticed he could not see. It was temporary though and he could already make out differences between light and dark. Mal knew that he could hold out for a while under Niska's expertise but he hoped Zoe would not take too long about it. It was then he heard Bane's loud voice with more than a little shake to it.

"Hello, Niska, long time no see." Bane had silently come into the room and held her gun on Niska. She took in the positioning of the others. Fear gripped her belly and her arm shook.

"What? You're with him now?" Niska's voice held complete puzzlement. "Tie her up too," he stated almost nonchalantly. Without hesitation Bane shot the nearest man dead and then killed the two others standing either side of Mal without them being able to draw their weapons. Niska looked around him – for the first time a little worried, but not letting it show. He pressed the com to talk into it.

"Won't do no good to call anyone – com's out," she said, hand raised with the gun pointing at Niska's face. "You all right, Captain?"

"Will be soon as I can get untied," he replied. Bane backed towards him, still keeping the gun on Niska. She released the restraints and told him to stay put. Reynolds being who he was though, knelt to the body of one of the men at his feet and fumbled for his weapon. Bane picked up the guns from the two other bodies.

"Well, it's been a long time, Deena Li, my little canvas." Niska said sweetly, he was stalling her and trying to back up further into his office. "Did that pirate who bought you get tired of looking at your scars?" Bane tried to ignore him as she led Mal towards the door, still keeping her gun on him.

"Shoot him and lets get out of here," ordered Mal, who waved his gun in Niska's general direction, "Or tell me where and I'll do it." Bane hesitated, overcome with so much hurt and anger churning inside her, but then she walked up to Niska.

"This is an execution, Adelai Niska and I won't feel sorry." She raised the gun and it whirred into life. Niska moved fast for an old man and threw a punch at her face. She fired as a reflex and it caught him high in the shoulder. He had been reaching for a button on his desk but the bullet shifted his position. Bane kicked him and stood on his chest. "Nice try, you _gou cao de_ Russian –"

"Bane!" shouted Mal, "Finish it. Let's go – Now!" Bane gave the old man one last look of hatred and shot him in the head. Blood spattered over her boots and she wiped them on his dead body. He would damage no one else. She turned to Mal who had his hand on the door frame.

"Can you see?" she asked.

"Close enough – bring the com so we know when he's been found." Bane did not want to move. She had just shot the man who had tortured her for two years and she wanted to just curl up and die herself. Reynolds grabbed her arm in a fierce grip. "I gave you an order – let's go!" he shouted. She snapped to the task in hand and led him out of the room and down the corridor. She looked at the device in her hand.

"I need to get this hatch off here. Zoe said we need to get to the escape pods."

"Do it fast," replied Mal. Bane worked the panel free and guided Reynolds into it. She went in behind him and sealed it with some putty as it was the only thing she had. Apart from one more EMP grenade and the guns they had collected, she was out of tricks. The tunnel was big enough for them to crawl on their hands and knees. At least it was not filled with foul-smelling effluent this time, but it was hot and soon they were both pouring with sweat.

"Keep going, Captain, and keep your head down." They crawled for what seemed like miles on a steady and occasionally steep slope downwards. It came through on the com that Niska had been found dead and a search was on, but basically the station was in chaos. From the conversations going on it seemed that he had only just asserted his authority, so it had still been in its shaky beginnings. Reynolds was relieved as it meant that the search for them would be secondary as the power struggle of finding a new boss would take first priority. "Look out!" said Bane as too late he whacked his head on a low pipe. It stunned him more than a little and he stopped crawling and rested.

"Nice turn of phrase, Bane," he said sarcastically. He could barely pick out her frame in the dim light of the tunnel. Bane caught up with him and stopped.

"Sorry. How much can you see now?"

"Near fully but for the darkness in here. Still a bit blurry though. We've been crawling downhill for some time – are we really any closer?" Bane looked at the digital readout again. It would still take them some time.

"We're taking the scenic route," she replied. Reynolds laughed shortly. They rested a while and listened to the disjointed com traffic. There was lots of shouting by someone called Drawn.

"I've been tortured by Niska too," he said suddenly, "He said he had his reputation to establish." Bane was very still, she did not want to go talking about what Niska had done to her, certainly not in a tunnel while they were still in danger of being caught.

"I'm sure you did nothing to piss him off," she replied, attempting to be light-hearted. Mal chuckled.

"Well, maybe. But he enjoyed his work." Bane nodded in agreement, forgetting that Reynolds could not see her. She looked at him seeing the calm face and slightly flattened nose in the half light which belied the years of harshness he had to endure, much like herself. She still did not want to go into it though.

"I ain't talking about it, Captain. He's dead and I killed him. He won't be able to do it to anyone else now."

"Fine, have it your way. It don't do to fester 'bout it though."

"We all have things that fester away inside us," she said, hitting Mal a bit close to the bone, "Besides, it doesn't matter," she lied, "I am perfectly fine."

"So you say," he sighed and got back on his hands and knees. "Your turn to lead, anyways. Now let's get off this ruttin' piece of _go se _before someone finds us." Bane crawled past him and led the way. They finally had to come out of the tunnel before it took them completely in the wrong direction. She worked on the access panel and they came out in someone's quarters. Fortunately the occupier was not at home. Mal blinked and managed to focus and he finally could see properly. He was back in control again and was sure angry at himself that they had walked straight into a trap so easily. He looked at the digital readout that Bane was carrying. It was not far now but there were no more ducts to crawl along and it was just a matter of not being seen. The door to the quarters opened and Mal just had time to whip behind it as the man came in and saw Bane.

"Well, hello there," said Bane quickly and she sat on the edge of the bed, hoping that he did not see their footprints over the cover.

"Wha?" was all the man could say.

"Present from the boss," she replied feigning to take off her top. Mal whacked him on the head with the end of his gun and he dropped to the floor, out cold. They tied him up on the bed and Bane peered carefully out of the door. "It's clear." They ran down corridors and stairs getting further into the belly of the ship. A few times they had near misses and once they just brazenly walked past a group of people while pretending to talk about how bad the food was on the station. Finally they made it to the area of the pods. Reynolds estimated that it had take them near five hours to reach it. He hoped Zoe was waiting for them somewhere out there, out of range of the station weapons. Bane was exhausted, but she wanted to get off the ship as much as Mal. She selected a pod and began working on the controls. Mal followed her in.

"No, not this one – I'm setting it up as a decoy, just in case."

"I knew that," said Mal defensively. He did not like the way she was sometimes two steps ahead of him. It was most annoying. One person like Zoe was just enough thank you. He opened the pod next door, strapped himself in and activated the controls. It was a small space and made to fit only two people he surmised. Bane joined him moments later, sealing the door behind her.

"It's away and we need to go. I've set the other one on a course, so if we just drop out of the ship, they will hopefully think the other is us. Can you send a signal to Serenity?" Mal activated the pod and they felt their stomachs loop as they dropped out of the Silver Bird. Mal tapped in a com message for Serenity. Someone must have been monitoring the pods and they both jumped as the other pod was blown up by a shot from the ship. The pod had only one small window and they could not see what was going on behind them.

We're almost out of range," said Mal. He fired up the small engines and they took off. A laser shot went past them – a near miss. They thought they had made it until another shot caught them a glancing blow. The pod was small and the blast knocked out the engines. Bane, who had not strapped herself in yet was thrown against the bulkhead and knocked out. Mal tried a few things to get the engines going but they were well and truly fried. All that was left was to hope Serenity had got their message and that the Silver Bird would not send out a recovery vessel. He un-strapped himself and crouched over Bane. There was nothing he could do for her so he just turned her on her side and tore off part of her sleeve to tie the bleeding wound on her head.

"_Tian xiao de_," he whispered. The sleeve he had torn off her top revealed some very neat scars that circled her arm in artistic scrolls. He could not stop himself, he pulled the sleeve back further and saw that they followed over onto her back. He rolled her over and lifted her top. It was horribly beautiful. Her back was scarred in the same scrolling designs and very intricate. It had taken a razor sharp knife and the continuous re-opening of old scar tissue to create this. It filled her back from neck to waist. It was obscenely pretty and he felt more than a little sick at the sight. Niska had done this over a long period – her back was the canvas he had been referring to. Bane groaned and Mal jumped back guiltily. He pulled her top back down and turned her back over again. Her hand came up to her head and she muttered some curses. "It's alright – just a knock on the head. We'll get the Doc to look at it when we get back."

"Got a few hammers in my head, Captain." Bane screwed her eyes shut with the pain.

"You don't have to call me Captain, you know, you're not part of my crew," he got up off the floor and lifted her to a sitting position, propped against the wall. He sat in the pilot's seat again.

"I know. It's just habit." She groaned again. She just wanted to sleep to stop the pounding in her head. Mal responded to a small beep on the control panel. It was Serenity. They were almost out of the _go se_. They were not far away.

"Captain, there isn't a dermal mender created that can wipe out those scars, even if we could get one. May be if it was just one layer of scar tissue, but this is several layers over a long period of time." It was the first thing Bane heard as she returned to consciousness. She did not want to open her eyes but she felt them watering. They must have seen her back.

"I know Niska is rotting in the special hell for this," said Mal angrily.

"He's definitely dead this time then?" asked Simon, who was examining Mal's eyes for any further damage.

"Oh, yes – Bane shot him in the head. He ain't coming back from that." She could hear Mal walking across the room and out of the door.

"He's gone now," said Simon, perfectly astute when it came to knowing when people were awake or not.

"You saw then," Bane said sadly. Simon nodded. She tried to rise but he put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"I'm the doctor and you're not leaving till I say you're well enough," Simon looked too young to be able to carry out that threat if she decided to get up and try, but she was in no mood to test it. Her frustration at not being able to escape led to the tears starting to flow. She turned over awkwardly on the couch but Simon walked around to face her. "Bane, I'm not a head doctor, but it doesn't do any good to keep these things in. Does your family know?"

"Of course they do – I share a bunk with five of them and they're certainly not blind," she sounded angrier than she meant to be.

"And being as family are, they accept without question or comment," pointed out Simon. Bane smiled but without humour. "What about non-family members?"

"Yes, well, I've had my own experiences of that too," she paused, "You know your sister asked why I wasn't married."

"Did she?" may be he should leave the head doctoring to her, "By the look on your face you either were or nearly were." Simon pottered around the room waiting for her to speak.

"Very good, doctor. I was engaged to someone on Whittier who I thought I loved or something – not sure now whether it was love or wanting to escape. But he took one look at my body and ended it on the spot. Said he didn't want no other man's trash. That shiny enough for you?" Simon flushed a little but remained firm.

"There will always be people who will have problems dealing with those scars and especially if you let them."

"Let them? There's not exactly any gorram way I can hide it, is there?" she replied forcefully. Simon propped himself against the counter and folded his arms.

"Why hide it? The more you do, the more others are shocked when they find out. All that does is chip away at you a little more each time it happens. I asked you the last time whether they were tribal scars and you said they were. Well, why not? The War changed things for many people and these are your battle scars." Bane had never really looked at it from that point of view. She felt a little calmer, but it was an awful thin line.

"You say I should prance around the ship naked? I'm sure it'll go down well with Jayne, but not sure I want everyone to lose their appetites just yet," she did not want to pursue the matter further. She wanted to vent and rage but Simon was not the right person. "I'm tired Doc – sure I can't go and sleep in my bunk?" Simon left the conversation there but said she was not going anywhere until he was sure she was okay. He continued to potter around the med bay tidying things up. At least they were heading more directly for Regina now. While the Captain and Bane had been on the Bird, they had their own problems. Blasts from the station had partially damaged the ship but fortunately missed the engines. River had done some fancy flying by all accounts, although to Simon it had only made him feel queasy. He was still not used to space travel, not sure he ever would be.

Regina had an over abundance of trees and the climate near the drop was rainy and damp. They landed without problems. The four of them went to meet Reynolds' contact with the goods, heavily but subtly armed to the teeth. They were all nervous and trigger itchy, but it was almost disappointingly uneventful. The money was exchanged and the co-ordinates given for the goods. Mal's contact proved to be trustworthy and grateful and they expressed a mutual desire to deal again. They were in the ship and back in the Black before dark. They still had a fair few days to kill before they got back to Persephone so Bane got River to give her lessons in flying Serenity. On the Rosalyn Pye they all had to take turns but here there was just River and the Captain. She was always up for learning new skills and there was little else for her to do on board. The basic flying was easy but each boat had its own idiosyncrasies and Serenity was knee-deep in them. River was a good teacher though and soon she had the basics down. So much so that River stated one evening that she was leaving and going to get some food. She left the cockpit laughing at the string of curses Bane sent after her. But after her initial fears she relaxed comfortably into the job. She usually played music when it was her shift at the wheel on the Rosalyn, so she put on the headphones and tapped the com. Music was obviously not Serenity's priority. There was very little in the database but she found something nice and loud. River took her time in returning – she was talking and eating with Kaylee while she painted her toenails.

"River! Who's flying my gorram ship?" Mal came in and interrupted their conversation. River jumped.

"Bane is – she pilots on her ship and she picked it up real quick."

"That's real shiny – but remind me who is Captain?" Mal had his hands on his hips in an attempt to be authoritative. It was a little difficult with Kaylee sniggering at him.

"Why you are Captain, Captain. I don't think much of her taste in music though," replied River, taking another spoonful of rice. Mal grunted and went to investigate the supposed skills of the new pilot. He came across Zoe on his way coming out of her quarters.

"River has recruited us another pilot," he indicated the cockpit with his head.

"Really, Captain – and you let her fly your ship?" Zoe was amused.

"Dint have no choice."

"Seems she's got a lot of skills, Cap'n. Might be we could use her."

"Yeh, we like as wouldn't have got away from Niska if she hadn't been around. Not sure she'd want to sign up though." Zoe looked at him.

"You gotta ask though, Cap'n," she stated with utter truth.

"Yeh," he sighed, "I gotta ask." He left her on the gangway and headed to the cockpit. Their most recent experiences only confirmed that they needed at least another hand. It meant more overheads but it would be safer. He needed people like themselves, ready to act reliably if the plan went awry and one of these days it really would. The hard part was finding someone trustworthy. He walked into the cockpit and stood watching Bane rocking her head to the music coming through the headphones. It was a peaceful and comforting sight and it shocked Mal to discover he felt quite lonely all of a sudden. The crew were his family but he still felt the distance of being in charge.

As he stood there his mind turned to Inara. He could never admit to himself how much he was attracted to her. Her presence on Serenity was like a drug and he kept finding himself at her shuttle. They would argue and she would keep threatening to leave, but since Miranda had not physically done anything about it. He worried that his attraction to her was due to his own sense of rebellion, she stood for everything he hated about the Alliance. He also knew that part of his attraction to Inara was because it would be impossible for him to act on it and not come out losing a good chunk of himself in the process. Maybe he was tired of trying to attain the impossible and being miserable. The woman in front of him though could be so safe and easy to get to know better. But he was never one to do things all safe and shiny. She was the same as him and Zoe, and Jayne; a tough, resilient and scarred fighter and all mushy underneath – well, maybe not Jayne. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder and she near jumped out of the chair.

"Gorram, Captain – I mean Mal – I jumped near outta my skin." Mal tried to look his most serious and Captainy.

"Since when did I say you could drive my ship?" he said sternly. Bane looked sheepish.

"Ah, well. I asked River to give me some lessons – we all take turns on the Rosalyn – and then she left and I was waiting for her to come back. I couldn't leave the controls to fetch her, she hasn't shown me autopilot yet." Mal laughed.

"No matter. Seems you got the hang of her though." He sat down in the chair next to her.

"She's a mite different than the Rosalyn, but very like the cruiser we had during the war. River says we should reach Persephone in two days."

"Good. I plan to send out the word about the Silver Bird, so's others can avoid it." Bane said nothing and turned back to the controls. He paused, not sure if he should say what he had on his mind. "Niska called you Deena so I did some hunting and I looked up and found a warrant for a Deena Court. You look very young in the terrible picture but you and your mother had a thoroughly impressive resume. The Alliance must really have hung the _hun dan_ who sold you on rather than handing you over," Bane was looking at him warily but he carried on, "I could use you on Serenity, Bane. How would it be with your brother if'n you transferred here?" Apart from Niska, it had been a long time since she had heard anyone refer to her by her alias. It conjured up all sorts of memories and very few good ones now. Mara and Deena Court, alias Rosa and Bane Pye, wanted for crimes against the Alliance during the Unification War. They had cost the Alliance millions in platinum by blowing up munitions factories and transport depots. They were also down for the murder of all the Alliance soldiers caught in the explosions. That was the vindictiveness of the Alliance, they could not put it down as casualties of war, like all the other battles. Because she had got away they called it murder. Mal was waiting expectantly for her reply.

"He'd leave it up to me," replied Bane, turning back to concentrate on the controls.

"You would get a share like everyone else, your own bunk – surely that must be tempting?" Mal added. It got a laugh out of her at least.

"It is, as you say, tempting, Mal. You don't lead a dull life, I'll give you that," Bane admitted.

"But?" he added.

"But, I'm not sure I want to leave my family on the Rosalyn."

"Well, think on it and let me know 'afore we land on Haven."

"I will. Thank you for the offer."

"Now, you go get some eatin's and I'll take over." He comfortably reached for the controls located in front of him. Bane did not argue and left quickly, thoroughly surprised by the job offer and more than a little confused.

"Did you have nice sex, 'Nara?" asked Kaylee as they hugged each other in welcome.

"Did you, Kaylee?" was her quick answer. Kaylee looked at Simon and leaned over to whisper in Inara's ear. Whatever it was she said Inara's face remained as calm as water, but there was a glint of humour in her eye. Simon coughed uncomfortably and River rolled her eyes. They stood chatting in the bay when Mal's voice came over the com.

"Gotta get going, people – need a pilot to fly outta here. Or do I need to hire a new one?"

"Is that supposed to be his cross voice?" commented Inara, amused.

"Na, that's his happy with the world voice," finished Kaylee.

"Job went well then."

"Job went mostly well," Kaylee corrected her and giggled.

Later on in the galley Inara met Bane and although it was not instant dislike, there was coolness. Inara felt that Bane had certainly made herself part of the ship in the short two weeks she had been absent but would never admit she was jealous. Jayne was positively drooling and Mal, well, Mal was mighty friendly. Inara was angry at herself that she did not like how friendly he was being. She understood why when the after dinner story was the tale of their escape from Niska's new space station.

"This food is exquisite – the best thing I've tasted in a long while. Did you pick up fresh rations on the way back?" she asked Zoe, thinking she had cooked it.

"We've been eatin' like kings since Bane came aboard," Jayne voice held high praise.

"You would think it's good, you lot have been eating too much protein _zao gao_," defended Bane, "But I'm glad it is to your liking." Bane had been watching Inara eat and saw she was being truthful about the food. She had also seen how Mal's eyes watched Inara's every move but real subtle, like he did not want to be noticed doing it. There was definitely some history between those two but she could not gage what kind of history. Inara was a stunning woman who had obviously been taught to make the most of her assets from young age. She also seemed the most aloof of the crew, to everyone apart from Kaylee. Bane had found that with many Companions she had met and, during the war, had impersonated as well.

"So you gonna take Mal up on his offer?" Jayne asked her suddenly, bringing Bane out of her thoughts. Inara went very still and stared at Mal, who grinned and stared right back, refusing to enlighten her curiosity.

"Yes, stay Bane," pleaded Kaylee, "We never had a job go so smooth before," she added with a side glance at her Captain. Bane had hoped that Mal would keep the job offer to himself until she had made her decision. He obviously played to win and looked very pleased with himself as well.

"I haven't made my decision yet, Kaylee." Bane looked at Zoe who as usual looked non-committal.

"Make life a mite more interestin' if you do," said Jayne. He reached over and took another two rolls, smelling their freshness before cutting them open.

"You're just thinking of your eatins, Jayne," stated Kaylee.

"Well, o'course I am," he replied as if it made total and perfect sense.

They approached Haven a couple of days later and Bane knew she could no longer put off talking to the Captain about her decision. He was in his quarters so she banged on the door and waited for his answer. When it came she climbed down the ladder and saw that he was at his desk. In the dim light she could see his quarters were untidy but still functional.

"Made your choosin' then?" he sat back in the chair and folded his arms. Bane saw there was nothing else to sit on apart from the bed so she remained standing. She discovered that Mal's job offer had been a surprisingly hard thing to decide on. In fact it had prevented her from having a decent sleep for the last couple of nights.

"Yes, I have," she took a breath, "I've decided to return home to the Rosalyn Pye." Mal made no reaction except to smile broadly.

"I can feel another 'but' in there somewhere – what is it?" he asked.

"I don't feel ready to leave my family _yet_. But that's not to say I won't ever be. I will fully admit that through the shootin', crawlin' through _go se_ and almost being blown out of the Black, I've never felt more alive. It's been a parcel of years since I could say that." Bane knew it would not always be like that here, but living on Serenity would not be dull. "What I'm trying to say is, well – ask me again sometime, if'n you're inclined, and the answer may be different."

"Might not have a need for extra crew then," answered Mal reasonably. Bane shrugged.

"That's a risk I'll have to take."

"Won't say that Jayne might not try and chain you to the ship to make you stay." Bane laughed and would have been quite happy to stay and talk but Mal had made no effort to offer her a place to sit.

"Right then," she made a move to go, "It's been a pleasure, Mal. Hope to see you around some." Mal stood up and held out his hand.

"See you around the Black." She shook his hand and climbed back up the ladder. Bane returned to her quarters and gathered both her bags together to take them to the cargo bay. They broke atmo to Haven shortly after and Bane made sure she had said her farewells to everyone. As the cargo door was lowered she saw her brother waiting for her with her cousins. They looked quite anxious until they noticed her. She smiled – her heart filled with the love and joy associated with homecoming. There was nothing like being missed, even if she did have to go back to sharing a bunk with five smelly men. Bane, Mal and Zoe walked down the ramp together. She hugged her brother and then let him go so he could shake Mal's hand.

"She's in one piece, just like I promised," said Mal. He handed over Tony's share of the profits. It was a hefty bag. "Tried to pinch her from you too, but she wanted to stay with family." Tony's eyebrows raised and he looked at his sister. She looked happy and something else he could not put his finger on.

"It was tempting – but I reckon you needed me more," she defended and then walked over to hug her cousins. Maloranty, being as big as a bear, lifted her off the ground in welcome.

"We heard about Niska," Tony said when it was just him and Mal and they were out of earshot. Mal walked away from the others a bit and Tony followed.

"What did you hear?" asked Mal. The strange light speed of gossip never failed to surprise him.

"That he's finally dead and you shot him. Thank you, by the way. I wish I'd been there to see it."

"It wasn't me, Tony, it was Bane. She shot him in the gorram head." Tony's mouth opened in shock.

"_Ni ta ma de_. I thought she looked different, more at peace. Hardest thing I ever did was walkin' away from him. You know –"

"I know what he did and would have killed him my own self if she hadn't." Mal interrupted him, clearly seeing that it was hard for Tony to explain what Niska had done. Tony looked relieved as well.

"No more secrets then?"

"We all have secrets – keeps us from getting' dead." Mal replied. He looked around and held out his hand to Tony who took it warmly.

"Wave me if you have any other jobs. Although, if you wanna try pinchin' my best cook again, I'm not sure I'll be so ready to contract her out again." Mal laughed. It was hard finding reliable contacts in this 'Verse and worth holding on to the good ones you did find.

"Fly safe, Tony," and they parted. Bane waited for Tony to catch up with her and they watched Serenity's crew re-board. Bane waved when she saw Mal turn around and he waved back.


End file.
